Carbon Literacy in the NHS

One half-day, in-person or virtual

This course is for NHS staff looking to build their carbon literacy to understand how to drive the transition towards Net Zero. Carbon literacy is "an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions". Participants will: 

• Deepen their understanding of climate change's causes and effects, including effects on human health and the NHS 
• Understand the basics of carbon reporting, including how to produce and interpret emissions estimates 
• Understand key activities for reducing carbon emissions, including target setting, action planning, and influencing others 

Module 1: An introduction to climate change:   

• Understanding the history and science of climate change, including its causes and effects   
• Unpicking some common misconceptions  

Module 2: Climate change and the NHS:   

• How the NHS contributes to climate change, exploring the NHS Carbon Footprint and Carbon Footprint Plus  
• How climate change impacts the NHS  

Module 3: Carbon reporting 101  

• Understanding the basics of carbon reporting, including international reporting standards from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the three reporting scopes, emissions conversion factors and best practice reporting approaches  
• A series of carbon reporting exercises for a fictional NHS Trust 

Acting on your carbon footprint:   

• Understanding how NHS leaders can reduce their carbon footprint though target setting, action planning and influencing others 
• Exploring the differences between carbon neutral and net zero, and best practice for offsetting emissions 
• An exercise developing action plans for the fictional NHS Trust